Amir Kripper's routine commute from his Wellesley home takes him through the Allson-Brighton tolls, but what should have been the simple mistake of not updating his credit card information turned $157 in unpaid tolls into $11,000 in penalties.

"They were treating us like criminals when we are just commuters," said his wife, Carin Litani.

Kripper said he didn't realize he commuted for three months last year with an expired credit card on his E-ZPass account.

So on top $1.25 toll for going through the tolls, each of the 124 trips he took also cost him $90 in fines.

"I was in shock. I am an E-ZPass commuter and have been using the system for years and have never left any unpaid balance," Kripper said.

Kripper admits he made a mistake by not updating his address after he moved, but says he didn't receive any notices by mail. He made his case to a manager at the E-ZPass violations center in Auburn.

"He kept going back and forth like a car dealership. And at the end he says this is it, I'm going to give you an offer of $1,500. It's a one day (offer) only. If you don't take it now we're going to go after you for $11,000," Kripper said.

Feeling out of options, Kripper paid the $1,586.

"This just seemed very shady," Litani said. "You'd think he would say, 'Write a letter, we'll appeal. Not take it or leave it."

MassDOT, which operates E-ZPass, issued a statement: "MassDOT reminds E-ZPass transponder holders to treat their account as they would any other bill, such as a credit card, cellphone, utility, or cable bill. It is incumbent upon the account holder to ensure their information is up to date. MassDOT encourages drivers to routinely monitor their account and to make any changes in a timely manner to ensure their account information is current."

MassDOT says toll collection policies and the procedures for recovering lost revenue from unpaid tolls are consistent on all roadways in the Commonwealth.

But Mary Z. Connaughton, the Pioneer Institute's Director of Government Transparency, said there should be a better way.

"It sounds like highway robbery," she told 5 Investigates. "It's a prime opportunity for the new administration to come in (and) reform this."